So when you were asking about the wall finish in the conference room the other day, I forgot to mention that the plaster guy we used for the south hallway also does a very specific kind of lime wash that holds up really well against dampness. He was telling me the trick is to let the base coat cure for a full nine days before even thinking about the second layer, otherwise the pigment kind of blooms unevenly and you end up with these faint streaks that look like water stains. He also said if anyone on your team is sensitive to dust you should seal off the vents in that wing before the sanding starts because the fine silt gets everywhere, even into the break room fridge somehow. We could probably walk over there on Thursday after the eleven o'clock call and take a look at the sample board he left by the elevator, it has a few swatches with different levels of sheen. Anyway, if you want I can send over his number, just let me know which day works better for a walk through, he is usually on site until about three.

Someone was just asking me about the best way to get a stubborn stain out of a butcher block counter and honestly it depends whether you have an oil finish or a wax finish on there. For oil, the easiest approach is to sprinkle a little baking soda right on the spot and then rub it gently with half a lemon, the acid kind of lifts the mark without eating into the wood too much. If that does not work you can try a paste of flour and white vinegar, leave it for about twenty minutes and wipe with a damp cloth. But for wax finished surfaces you should avoid anything watery because it will push the stain deeper behind the wax layer, you are better off using a soft cloth with a tiny dab of mineral oil and rubbing in circles for a while. A friend of mine swears by using plain table salt and a cut potato for berry stains but I have never tried that one myself. The main thing is to reseal the wood after any cleaning so the grain stays protected.